On Wednesday, my 8-year-old called down from his room, “Can I wear shorts today?” It’s hard to enforce the “no shorts in winter” rule when the temperatures have routinely hit above 50 degrees. That same day temperatures would hit 64 in West Goshen, according to Weather Channel data. On a lunchtime walk, I was passed by a runner in a tank top and shorts. So many kids have been visiting Everhart Park that the Friends of Everhart Park are exploring supplying a Porta Potty for the months the bathrooms are closed (October 5 – April 27).
While this week’s weather has been unseasonably warm, the average high this time of year is 42, it is by no means record-breaking. Around this time last year, it hit 72, and even last month we saw temps reach up to 67 degrees. What has been unusual is the overall mildness of the winter weather so far. I dug through decades of weather data and it turns out, not since 1950 have we seen a January so warm.
The average temperature last month was 40.71 degrees. 2006 came close with an average recorded temperature of 40.32 degrees, but it wouldn’t be until January in 1950 that I found a monthly average temperature higher than we’ve seen this year. In 1950 the average January temperature was a balmy 42.23 However, in both those cases cold weather rebounded in February when average temps dropped to 32.57 (1950) and 35 (2006). So far that does not appear to be the case this February. Current temperatures are averaging above 40 and, after dropping on Saturday, temperatures again look to be in the upper 50s next week.
riginally published, Feb. 17, 2023
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